Oct 30 6 Self-Care Tips to Keep Your Career on Track

You know what to do and you know you need to put your best foot forward. But how can you do that if you're not feeling your absolute best?!

I think the one thing that was so often forget (it's so easy, yet so obvious), is taking care of ourselves. Anything worth having in your life, such as your dream career, is worth working for and along with that is probably a certain level of responsibilities and stress.

Stress isn't always a bad thing. It becomes a bad then when we're unable to turn it off at night and when we're starting to see physical changes in ourselves.

To make sure your functioning at your highest level, keep your stress level with these six self-care tips.

Sleep

No brainer, huh? Your mind and body works best when it is well-rested. According to the National Sleep Foundation the average person, aged 2 to 64 years old, requires 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Anything less or more (did you know you can get too much sleep) can affect how you think, act, and carry yourself throughout the day. Your mind needs to be firing on all cylinders to keep your career moving forward.

Wellness

Now I'm not talking about hours spent at the gym every night (although that's not a bad thing, it's just not appealing to everyone). I'm talking about being good to your body. Eating right and moderate exercise can go along way with your mental health and your physical health. The more you take care of your body and treat it right, the less often you'll find yourself feeling under-the-weather. Down time because you don't feel well isn't going to get your up that career ladder any faster.

Fuel Up

I know it's easy but caffeine is not the best option for high-pressure situations, especially if you're prone to stress. If you need a pick-me-up, turn to high-energy healthy snacks to get you through the afternoon. And keep drinking water, it will help you to keep functioning like a well-oiled machine, all day long.

Slow Down

Slow down and smell the roses. If you keep racing from one task to another, you'll never give yourself the opportunity to appreciate what you're accomplishing and what you're capable of (you also won't give your heart an opportunity to stop racing). Slowing down will hope you to focus better and stay on task--two things that are difficult for multi-taskers.

Take a Break

You need to take some time for yourself. During the day, at your desk, take a minute to stop looking at the screen and meditate. Concentrate on your breathing and refocus yourself to carry on. At night, unplug and take a break from work at least an hour before bed. This can help you to avoid that burnt out feeling (not all the time, but sometime).

Happy Thoughts

Having a bad day? Feeling mentally drained? Pissed at a coworker? Take a few seconds to think happy thoughts. No, this isn't going to help you fly off to Neverland but it will help you to re-center yourself and laugh off whatever is bothering you. Not one for on-demand positive thinking? Google some goofy dog videos and take a deep breath.